Let Me Get Back to You

Yesterday I had two very interesting things happen to me.  One; I slept more than four hours.  Two; I was asked if I have Attention Deficit Disorder.

I had never previously been asked that before, and although my immediate reaction was, "Huh, never thought about it." I thought I would look in to it when I had the time.

Working later than usual, I did not arrive home until almost 10:00 pm.  At that point the house was its usual bustling self.  kids talking. Dogs needing to go out, laundry needing to be done, and the back ground sound of some TV show filled with teen angst. 

Curious about the ADD thing since I have managed to survive this long and never hear that before I wanted to see more about it.

In between helping my daughter with her college application, answering emails, getting in to an argument with a friend, and arguing with my son, I googled "Adult ADD Symptoms".

I scrolled down the page not being able to decide in the brief half sentence descriptions which test would be best for me to take.

I finally settled upon one and began answering the questions.  My choices of answers ranged from never to always.  Why is there never a "It Depends" option?  I could see a scenario for each question that "It Depends" would have been my answer.

Twenty questions in, I had to stop to take a call.  The call was about an upcoming photo shoot that I am doing the  makeup for. 

Where was I?  "Is easily distracted."  Hmmm I clicked, "Often".

My daughter brought me in her dog to feel a lump on the dog's stomach.  I told her we would take her to the vet and I am pretty sure it is not cancer, and not to worry until we have gone to the doctor and see what he says.

"Loses temper frequently."  No, I am a fucking saint.  Again, it depends.  But I had to choose what was offered, so that one got, "Occassionally."

My ex husband walked in and needed to show me something that he has been working on.  Being escited for him, I looked away from the computer screen and directly at him, giving him my full attention.

I followed him downstairs to continue talking, leaving my test  page open.  I had my phone in my hand and answered a few text messages that came in.

While downstairs I grabbed my laundry, let the dogs out, went to the rest room, let the dogs back in, and congratulated my ex on his upcoming success.

Once upstairs I made some tuna fish and went back to my room and the computer. 

Having let my cigarette burn out, I lit another one and again turned my focus to the test. 

YOU HAVE TIMED OUT.  YOU ONLY HAVE FIVE MINUTES IN WHICH TO ANSWER ALL OF THE QUESTIONS.  PLEASE CLICK HERE TO START TIME OVER.

Uhh. seriously?  Now I am getting short tempered.  They could have at least told me that before I started the damn test. 

Back to the begining.  This time I read the instructions.  "You will only have five minutes in which to answer all the questions."

Oops.  I guess I could have read it after all.

More text messages, an email and a child crisis later I finish the test and wait for the cyber Doctor to diagnose.

YOU ARE LIKELY TO HAVE ADD

PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS TO SEE WHAT SUB CATEGORIES YOU FIT.

Oh hell no.  But my daughter was there and she encouraged me to answer on.  I did and apparently I have some sort of thing called "Ring of Fire ADD"  uhhh, what the hell does that mean?

Back to Google.  A quick scan of Ring of Fire, which is not just a Jonny Cash song, but now of course was all I was able to sing.

I lost interest in the idea that I may or may not have ADD, but if drinking coffee right before I go to sleep enables me to actually stay asleep then count me in!

Here is what I see: In the time it took me to write this blog, I fed the cats, let the dogs out, took my daughter to school and discussed her schedule for the day.  I looked at my own schedule and made notes of things I need to do before I go to work.  I skyped with a friend of mine, found my favorite sweatshirt, and answered two pressing emails.  I also thought about the various fashion shows, sang obnoxioulsy loud in my car and offered the woman at Exxon advice on how to get her baby who is curently breach to turn.

I am a single mother with a lot of kids, and a full schedule.  I prefer being busy and somewhat distracted then the alternative of having nothing to stimulate my mind.

Am I ADD?

It depends.